Five Trends Google Says Event Planners Need To Know About

Whether you want to admit it, the event planning industry is changing and it is doing so quickly. During the day-to-day of event planning it may be hard to identify what exactly it is about our industry that is changing, but thanks to recently released research from Google, it is a bit easier to identify the key trends that will continue to impact event planners.

To summarize, event attendees are increasingly turning to the internet to connect with one another and to research and register for events. Mobile is becoming an increasingly popular search method, and video is being used by attendees to research an event before actually registering.

Here are the five stats for you to chew on.

1. Video Is Being Used To Research Events

A quarter of ticket holders used video to research an event before registering. This statistic highlights the increasing importance of video as attendees consider what events to attend. They are looking for video from previous events to determine if the next event will be successful.

Action Item: Organizers should collect videos taken by attendees, and/or hire videographers to attend events. Then the video collected can be turned into promotional content to drive future registrations. Video content also allows organizers to grow the online footprint of an event since it can be discoverable on platforms like Youtube, Vimeo, Instagram, Facebook and more.

2. It’s Time To Use Online Event Registration Software

Event organizers who choose to only sell tickets at the door are likely missing out on a lot of registrations and possibly on registration revenue (if they are selling tickets). Using an online event registration software can dramatically increase ticket sales.

Action Item: It’s time to join attendees in the 21st Century and start making tickets available via online registration. Not only will it increase registrations by making the experience more convenient, it can also empower event organizers to harness the power of digital promotion tactics like promo codes, incentivized pricing and more.

3. Most Of Your Attendees Are Hungry For Event Related Online Experiences

According to this metric, the majority of your event attendees are already engaging with event related content online. Either they are commenting or posting in Groups or Forums, checking in using an event app, or are liking content on social media.

Action Item: Organizers who are able to provide attendees with a centralized place where they can interact with one another online while at an event can truly enhance their experience. Attendees are going to want to engage online naturally, how they do so is up to the kind of digital experience you offer.

4. The Success Of A Previous Event Will Determine Future Event Success As Well

As they say, “you reap what you sow,” by planning outstanding events, organizers can help to build a loyal following of attendees who register for future events as well. Alternatively, organizers who struggle to create engaging events may find attracting attendees to new events to be difficult.

Action Item: If attendees are already predisposed to research future events, consider making the processes easier for them by providing information about upcoming events during the current event you are hosting. This can be done through digital displays, push notifications to your event app, or through on-stage announcements.

5. Use Digital To Keep Registrants Up-To-Date

Updating event attendees about your event should primarily be done through digital means. Whether that means sending segmented email lists, networking app push notifications, or blog posts on an event website – the best channel will be determined by the type of event and the type of attendees. Sharing mailing lists, or printed out event agendas doesn’t meet the standards of today’s event goers.

Next Steps

The event industry is evolving quickly, many of our clients can already attest to this. But the speed of the change can be hard to understand – especially when planning many events each year. Google’s recently released data suggests that event attendees are increasingly researching and interacting with events online. Whether through video, event websites, social media or other means, organizers who can successfully build a high quality digital presence will be most successful moving forward.